That’s it! I am officially closing down the office for the year. What a busy, busy year it has been. Grades are all submitted and other than course files and other odds and ends, I will be taking a much needed digital break for the next few weeks. Here’s to warm sunny days, a gentle breeze, the return of clouds to Dubai and time well spent with my children. I am sure the winter break will mean lots of time in the sand, both at the beach and in the desert.
Happy holidays to one and all!
We are happy to announce that ZUMEFF will take part in this year’s Al Marmoom: Film in the Desert. During this year’s festival a range of winning films from ZUMEFF 2022 will be shown.
Al Marmoom: Film in the Desert is a unique concept in the region that celebrates regional and global creative talents in the filmmaking industry. The festival provides a valuable platform to support this sector locally and regionally, presenting innovative prospects for its patrons to showcase their creativity, refine and develop their talents, and reach professionalism.
It also aims to enhance Al Marmoom Desert’s position as a unique cultural tourism destination. It is a nature reserve that embraces many cultures and is rich in local heritage and culture.
In addition to film screenings, the festival includes a series of interactive and engaging workshops targeting people of all ages and discussions with experts from across the region. A series of sessions for amateurs will also be offered for them to develop their knowledge of the film industry, in addition to panel discussions with experts and experienced global filmmakers.
The 2022 edition of the festival focuses on the short-film format to reflect traditional Emirati arts, utilising narrative as a source of inspiration for its content and efficacy. This is what the ‘Al Marmoom Short-Film Competition,’ launched by Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, is seeking to portray. The festival will celebrate the first three winning films in the competition.
Al Marmoom: Film in the Desert takes place from December 9th – 11th and goes from 4pm – 12am each day.
For more information on this year’s Al Marmoom: Film in the Desert Festival, visit: https://bit.ly/AlMarmoom2022
The Faces of the Unknown is a new body of work where I explore the possibilities of digital portraiture in the age of AI.
In a few short months, AI-generated art has gone from “invite only” tools to readily available mobile apps. During this short period of time, the AI systems have continued to learn, grow and develop at an astounding pace. When I started exploring AI-generated art over the summer using Midjourney, it was very erratic and struggled on many fronts. With that said, it was very impressive to see what a simple text prompt could deliver. Five months later, with a much deeper data set to draw from, it is starting to get scary.
What you see here are not images taken by a skilled photographer with an expensive portrait lens; what you see are images generated with Midjourney using nothing more than skillfully crafted text prompts. I wonder and worry as to where we will be in regard to AI-generated imagery in another five months?
In my The Faces of the Unknown project I will be exploring this new creative space, examining the technology and considering the ramifications this powerful new tool will bring.
You can follow my exploration into AI generated portraits over on Instagram: www.instagram.com/thefacesoftheunknown
After four years of supporting CreativeMornings Dubai with their social media needs, and taking regular speaker portraits, today, we passed the baton forward to Atölye. I am so thankful for the CM Dubai team and all the speakers and faces I have met over the past four years.
Dr. James Piecowye (my colleague and friend at Zayed University) is the reason CreativeMornings has a footprint here in Dubai. Without him, there would be no chapter here. Kudus to Dr. P for his vision, dedication and regular cheerleading for the creative community here in Dubai. Additional thanks to my other Zayed University colleague and friend, Dr. Michael Ogden for his interest in and support of the CreativeMornings DXB chapter.
Wishing the creative hub that is Atölye nothing but great success as they push forward with CreativeMornings not only here in Dubai but also with their Istanbul chapter.